A Case to Win
by Sweetandsnarky89
Summary: Hermione takes Lucius Malfoy's case as a favor to Draco. But she has this nagging feeling that this is no longer a favor to Draco. Her happiness depends on Lucius being free. So why is someone doing their best to sabatoge her case?
1. Chapter 1 and 2

_Story: A Case to Win  
Summary: Hermione Granger takes Lucius Malfoy's case as a favor to Draco, despite the public (and Ron's) obvious issues with it. Secretly, everyone in power hopes she wins. As she builds a case for Lucius, a tragedy strikes the Malfoy family. Hermione realizes that she stopped wanting to win as a favor for Draco a long time ago, now she wants Lucius free. As feelings develop between the two and the case begins, Hermione fights for Lucius's freedom… and her happiness. But someone will stop at nothing to make sure Lucius stays in prison.  
A/N: I don't know how often I will update this, or how it's going to end. But I hope you like it. I don't have a beta, so ignore any errors I missed.  
_

**Chapter One: Granger and Weasley have a Falling out! **

**A reliable source nearest to the power couple of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, states that the two have had a falling out. The Prophet wonders, as does its readers, if Ronald Weasley finally got sick of ignoring that his girlfriend's many indiscretions. **

"Did you or did you not tell me that I had a job to do and that you understood that?" Hermione stood in the middle of the kitchen, clutching her tea in her hands. "And did you not say that you "understood my job was at stake and would support me" even if the press was hounding me."

He had the good grace to look sheepish as he replied, "But they are calling you…"

"Thank you Ronald, but I don't need you to repeat the utter rubbish the Prophet prints. Strangers in Diagon Alley do that enough for one day." She placed her empty tea cup on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a gray pencil skirt with a white silk blouse and black pumps. She tapped her left foot softly in irritation. "I'd rather think you would welcome the opportunity to defend me, you did so when the Prophet spread lies about Harry."

Ron looked down into his cup of tea and didn't say anything at first. He swirled the liquid around with a spoon, contemplating how best to get out of trouble. "Harry was just my friend. You are my girlfriend and the things they are calling you…"

"Again, did you not say you understood? I have a job to do Ron; this is no different than if you were asked to arrest… oh say Seamus. You would have to do that, because you swore an oath as an Auror. I swore an oath as a lawyer, he wants a retrial and I have to defend him." Hermione picked up the designer briefcase that was sitting in her unoccupied chair at the dining room table.

Ron eyed the bag with disgust. "You don't have to win," he said. "You don't have to even try. You can just show up and let him do all the talking. You took this case and you might just win. And you've become friends with his… spawn."

"I need not remind you, Draco and I were friends long before I took his father's case. And I'll have you know Ronald Weasley; Draco Malfoy punched a reporter in the nose when the reporter called me a Death Eater slut." She walked across the floor, her heels clicking softly. "When you want to grow up, you can come back home; until then I think it is best you go back to your mother's."

"Hermione… please…" but Ron's words were wasted, she was already gone. "Blast," he muttered.

**Chapter Two: Granger returns to prison, trial for Malfoy pushes forward**

**As we promises, the Prophet brings you more on our following of the Malfoy trial. Reporters stationed at Azkaban say that Hermione Granger entered this morning to meet with her client. Sources inside the prison have said that Miss Granger intends to show evidence that Malfoy was forced to do He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's biddings, of punishment when he failed, and evidence of sympathy and resentment from the elder Malfoy. Sources in the prison confirm that the youngest Malfoy still refuses to visit his father. The Prophet's readers are in agreement; why would the son refuse to visit the father, if the latter wasn't guilty?**

"Hermione Granger to see Lucius Malfoy," she said in curt tone to the prison guard.

"Back again eh lassie? Thought for sure you'd let this one rot. No tellin' what things he's done, eh?" He took her wand and placed it in the holding container in the back. He handed her the ticket. "Pretty girl like you shouldn't be here with hard men like this. Ain't right I tell you," he said and flicked his wand. The door creaked open and Hermione walked through it. "Have a good time," he said with a grim expression.

The clicks of her heels were heavy and loud as she entered the "attorney" room. Little more than an integration room, he could imagine her before she even turned the corner and entered the room. He would know, for example, that her eyes would be flashing with fire, her hair would be mussed, and the first words out of her mouth would be damned guard. "Damned guard," she muttered under her breath, oblivious to the smirk that graced Lucius' face. "Bloody annoying is what he is, reminds me of Ronald. Oh bugger," she said as she tripped over a crack in the unimpressive stone floor below them.

Lucius caught her around the waist just in time and helped her regain her balance. "Careful Miss Granger, women who wear heels that high should always be aware of cracks in the floor." At this point, she will shrug away from him, straighten her skirt, and sit down in the little chair they provide on the opposite side of the table from his chair.

She did not disappoint. She shrugged away from him, smoothed down her skirt, and sat down in her chair. She crossed her legs at the ankle and placed her briefcase on the table. "Thank you Mr. Malfoy." He nodded in acknowledgment and sat in his chair. "How have you been? I recently saw the Minister about the horrible conditions that you've been experiencing here and he swore he'd see to it personally."

"They have improved, thank you." Lucius tapped the desk softly with one finger. "The Minister himself came to see me."

"What!" Hermione said shocked. "I hope, for his sake, that he did not say anything pertaining to the case."

"Oh no," Lucius said with another small smirk. "Minister Shacklebolt was quite careful in what he said to me and what he asked. He was merely curious if I knew the extent of your sacrifices made in my defense." Lucius pulled something out of the pocket of his prison robes and placed it on the table. Hermione found herself staring at the cover of that morning's Daily Prophet with the blaring headline that said "Hermione Granger; Defender of Muggleborns or Whore of Death Eaters?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and began pulling things out of her briefcase. "I have a few more witness testimonies that I need you to read over."

"Will we be ignoring this then?" Lucius crossed his arms and leaned back against the chair.

"What could we possibly have to talk about? The Prophet has never been known for telling the truth." Hermione flipped through the pages she had in front of her, keeping her eyes off the man in front of her.

Lucius placed a hand over the papers, halting her progress. "I wish to speak about this." She rolled her eyes but looked up at him. Her glance told him to continue. "Why did you keep this from me?"

"What matter is it to you? Again, the Prophet has never told the truth, what made you think they wouldn't pounce on this?" She reached back into her bag and pulled out another paper, this one was Saturday's issue. She threw the paper down on the table and watched him read the headline, "Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, secret affair under Lucius Malfoy's nose." "As you can see, they will grasp at anything to create gossip."

Lucius stared at the picture of his son, walking arm in arm with Granger down a muggle street. He was smiling and she was laughing at something. "You two look happy."

"There is nothing going on between your son and I, and this has no relevance to your case." She pushed three sheets of paper towards him. "Read those and if you consent that they are acceptable and truthful, sign the bottom with that quill."

Lucius looked down at the papers and then looked back up at her. "Why have you not quit? I imagine that the gossip isn't making your life any easier."

"I have a job to do Lucius," she reminded him. "And I was the only lawyer that would even consider taking the case in the first place."

"Why did you?"

"For the last time, your son told me you weren't as guilty as the world believes. He begged me to take the job, to help you. I'm doing this because Draco is my friend and he needed me. There have been times when I have needed him…" she stopped suddenly and her hand went to cover her mouth. She was not supposed to talk personally with this man, this Death Eater. It had been an unspoken code since she walked into the room with him that first day. "Please read those, I am done talking about me."


	2. Chapter 3 and 4

_**AN: Another chapter! Yay! I'm glad that you guys like it. **_

**Chapter Three: Hermione Granger visits Harry Potter, Minister bends to their will!  
**

**It's no secret that Hermione Granger is friends with Harry Potter. What is surprising is that Miss Granger would use her friendship with the Chosen One as a bribe for Mr. Potter to use his influence in the Ministry to help Miss Granger out. It has come to the attention of this paper that Miss Granger is currently asking for Malfoy to be released for 24-hours for the funeral of his late wife, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy, who died of a tropical magical fever. Our readers are in an outrage that a harden criminal will be released into the care of a girl whom we've provided evidence has a relationship with Malfoy. "I personally feel," said Lavender Brown, schoolmate to Miss Granger, "that Hermione is not capable of handling Malfoy. Sure, magically she's pretty powerful, but she has all the instincts of a first-year. Plus, she's willing to overlook so much when she's in love; I think it is safe to assume that she will help Malfoy escape once they clear the Aurors." This paper agrees; can Miss Granger be trusted to keep a deadly prisoner in check?**

"I need an escort," she said to the person sitting behind the desk. "And I can't trust anyone else."

The man she was speaking with had turned his chair away from her and was looking out the window that looked over the Atrium at the ministry. When he turned around and his emerald green eyes made contact with her brown ones, she melted into her seat a little. It was hard to remain cold and impassive with Harry Potter. "Ron will do it," he said softly.

"I don't want Ronald to be the escort and I certainly don't trust him." She handed Harry the piece of paper that she had been clutching in her hand. "The Minister has agreed that it would be inhumane to keep Lucius from his wife's funeral, after Draco and I begged."

Harry took the letter and scanned it quickly. "Narcissa is to be buried at the Manor. Are you sure that you want to return to that place?"

Hermione looked guilty and suddenly took great interest in her emerald green peep toe pumps. "I will have to eventually, as I plan to move in there."

"What!" The clear shock written on his face was enough to make Hermione look back down on at her shoes. "Are you mad?"

"No, of course not," she said in defiance. "I've asked Ronald to go back to his mother's, and while he did as I requested, it is his house. And Draco asked me to move in, help him redecorate and rid the house of all the bad memories. He said…" she paused, wondering if she could reveal something so intimate about Draco. Thinking Harry would be the most likely person to understand, she continued. "He said he couldn't face doing it alone."

Harry nodded and a silence dropped between them. Harry had taken the money the Ministry had given him and put it towards renovating and rebuilding Hogwarts. He expressed a great interest in building a memorial to Dumbledore and Severus, but he had asked Hermione and Ron to be with him during the process. "Will you be there long?"

The question within that question was painfully apparent. "Harry, I don't think things will work with Ron and me. We are just too different," she whispered the last part mostly to herself. Although she had been thinking the thoughts for months, even before she took Lucius' case, it was an entire different thing to say it all out loud. "Ron doesn't seem to be ok with anything that I do. He hates Draco, he resents my job, and he seems to feel that his reputation is more important than my obligations. Ron wants a trophy wife and I will never be that."

"I wish you two would work it out," Harry said. "And who knows, the space might be good for you," he added wistfully. "I'll do the escort," he said.

"Thank you Harry," she added with a hug.

**Chapter Four- Prison Insiders Confirm, Relationship still strong with Malfoy and Granger**

**As the Prophet first reported, Miss Granger has been linked to Draco Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy. Evidence has suggested that her relationship with Lucius Malfoy has escalated to a point where they can barely keep their hands off each other. "It's really unprofessional, but they can't stay away from each other. The tension in that room is so thick you could cut it." Our insider also reports that tempers are running high about Malfoy leaving the prison. "It's not right, letting that man walk around with decent folks." The Prophet's readers agree and the Minister's ratings are suffering. **

"Do you not find it odd, that my son begs you to take my case, yet refuses to come see me?" Lucius was sitting across from her.

Hermione, who was busy filling out paperwork, did not look up at him. "Not really," she said, "Draco barely escaped prison. I assume that he is merely scared of this place."

"I raised my son to fear no one…"

"Except you and your Lord," she added scathingly. "Please do not speak to me of Draco in a negative manner at all. I will not tolerate it."

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly.

"Filling out the forms that will make it necessary to take you to your late wife's funeral," she said with a sigh. "There is more red tape involved in this than I thought."

"But Miss Granger, you have to make sure that the big bad Death Eater doesn't manage to kill everyone." He smirked at her and for a minute she forgot that this man was accused of some of the worst crimes imaginable and she was supposed to be keeping an emotional distance from him.

She felt the heat rise up in her cheeks at the sight of the smirking man. Shaking her head, she returned to her paperwork. "There are new security measures in place at the Manor in preparation for your arrival. The entire house is being locked down so that you will not be tempted to run inside and… what did it say… oh yes; retreat to an impenetrable fortress." A small frown came upon her face as she looked at the next sentence. "You will also be handcuffed magically to me."

"What!" Lucius leaned forward and ripped the piece of paper out of her hands. After reading it and realizing that she was not lying, he threw it back with a look of disgust. "They cannot do that to you, the rumors will never end."

Hermione placed a hand over her heart and leaned back. "My, my be careful there Mr. Malfoy or I might have to think you have started caring for me as more than a means to an end." Lucius looked as though he was about to say something, but she cut him off. "It will be fine," she said. "I can handle the rumors, I've done well so far and they are about to get infinitely worse."

Lucius raised one eyebrow and leaned closer to her. "Do tell Miss Granger," he whispered to her.

Hermione looked up and smirked. "I guess you will have to wait for the papers like everyone else."

"Assuming of course that I don't know better than to believe the Prophet," Lucius countered. "So please, inform me Miss Granger, what are you going to be doing now to cause scandalous rumors?"

"I'm moving in with your son," she said, placing three papers in front of him. "Sign the bottom of those pages."

The quill he had picked up dropped to the table and she looked up to see something close to anger written on his face. "Why would you do that?"

Hermione felt uneasy for the first time since she started this job. Even their initial meeting hadn't met with the unease that she felt now. "Draco wants to move back into the Manor, but he doesn't want to face all those demons alone. And since I broke things off with Ron, I need a place to stay."

Her words were met with a steely silence for a few minutes, his cold eyes scrutinizing her. "You broke things off with the Weasley boy?"

"Indeed I did," she said softly. "Ron isn't as mature as he should be at his age and I could no longer hide my feelings of annoyance in such matters."

Lucius picked up the quill and signed his name, keeping his head down to avoid her seeing his smirk. _So she's broken up with the Weasley boy,_ he thought to himself, _this means she will be vulnerable. _"Moving into the Manor is a big step, are you sure…?"

"I won't tell you again, there is nothing going on with your son and me." Hermione took the papers he had signed and placed them in the folder. "The funeral is scheduled from tomorrow at noon. I will be here around ten in the morning to make sure that they release you in a timely manner and that they allow you the decency to bathe and dress appropriately. I will bring you robes that your son has ordered for you."

Lucius watched her stand up but he remained seated. Looking up at her, he noticed that she was growing more confident each day, really becoming a remarkable woman. Or maybe she was only remarkable to him because she was helping him. "Thank you Miss Granger," Lucius said in a soft tone. "I doubt anyone else would have done as much for me as you are doing now. I will be forever in your debt."

Hermione looked down at the regal man that she was defending, that she was helping. And it struck her that she had come to care how he was treated, what he was allowed, and ultimately that he was let out. Not because her job depended on it, but because any fool could see the Lucius Malfoy was no longer the same man he was before. "I do have a heart Mr. Malfoy, and please…" she paused but gathered her courage, "call me Hermione."

He watched her walk away, the tapping of her heels covering his words, "Goodbye Hermione."


	3. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello there. I'm glad this story has been so well received. The idea about the Prophet headlines was completely accidentally. Originally the story was going to have Hermione's journal entries, but I thought that the headlines would add something more to the story. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Anyone who wants to talk about the Deathly Hallows Part I movie please feel free to PM me. **** On with the story…**

**Oh and in case I didn't add this before, I don't own anything Harry Potter related. That's all JK, I'm just playing with them a little! **

**Chapter Five- Guard your homes, Death Eater to be released on 24-hour probation.**

**Despite numerous letters from readers, which we have diligently forwarded to the Minister of Magic and Head Auror, Lucius Malfoy will be released into the custody of his lawyer today to attend his late wife's funeral. One can only hope that Harry Potter realizes how dangerous this situation is, as it is clear that Miss Granger's personal feelings prevent her from being rational in this matter. See page four for Ron's Inner Pain, an article by Rita Skeeter. **

It seemed Hermione was right in surmising that her presence would be needed to get the guards to do what she needed. When she arrived at fifteen minutes until ten, Lucius was still in his cell. "What I want to know if why you think you can ignore crystal clear instructions from the bloody Minister of Magic? Are you really as dumb as you look?" She had practically dragged the guard; today it was Brutus, down the cell block and stationed him in front of Lucius' door. "Open that bloody cell or so help me Merlin…"

"I'd do it if I were you," said a cool voice from across the cell block. Hermione looked over her shoulder to see Avery standing at the bars of his cell. "Morning Granger, pleasant day?"

"Go bugger yourself Avery," she hissed back and turned to see the guard opening the cell door. "Now you, yes Brutus you, go down to the bathing room and make sure there is hot water for him. I will be down shortly with him." The guard stood there watching her, a sneer on his face but fear in his eyes. "Now Brutus, before I have to call the Minister myself."

Looking thoroughly unhappy, Brutus stomped away from them. Hermione turned and walked into the cell to find Lucius sitting on his cot, his book lying forgotten beside him, and a smirk on his face. "Well done dear," he said.

"Don't call me dear," she responded. "We have very little time to get you ready. I still have to get ready when we return to my house."

"How will you shower and dress whilst magically handcuffed to me?" Lucius asked as they walked down the hall.

"Apparently the Minister had the same concerns about magically handcuffing you to me as you did. There will be a spell I will place on you before we leave that will make you unable to be further then 10 yards of me. I measured how far it would take for you to be outside the bathroom door while I was in the shower."

Hermione escorted Lucius to the bathing room, where she let him go in with another guard, Marcus, to watch over him. Standing outside the room, she wondered briefly what it would be like for Lucius to see the coffin his wife was being buried in. Draco had told her that his parent's marriage had not survived the horror that Voldemort had put them through during the final months of the second war. One had to wonder if Lucius had still loved his wife when he was taken to prison. "Granger," a spiteful female voice said from down the hall.

Hermione walked over to the cells, her sneakers making no sound on the harsh stone floor below her. She came to a stop in the middle of the minimal security ward, where they kept prisoners whose crimes were harsher than misuse of magic and less than murder. "Pansy," Hermione said as she faced the girl's cell.

The once, well if you could call them good, looks of Pansy's youth were gone. Harsh lines etched on her face, making the girl look years older than Hermione. Hermione remembered the newspaper article of the day they took Pansy away and the look of sadness on Draco's face as he stood and watched. "One Malfoy not enough for you Granger?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione leaned up against the wall opposite Pansy's cell, glancing every once in a while at the door to the bathing room. Brutus had come to stand next to her.

"I saw in the paper that you were with Draco, right under Lucius' nose. What did you do Granger, slip them a love potion?" Pansy smirked, the same smirk that Hermione remembered from school years.

"I see that prison hasn't even changed you," Hermione said. "Well don't worry Pans; you've got another five years to find that inner good person."

Pansy shrieked and came to the bars. "Fuck you Granger," Pansy shrieked. "You walk around here acting all self-righteous, but I know you. Remember, I was the one who found you…"

Hermione was in front of the cell in the next second, her hand wrapped around Pansy's neck. "You'll keep your fucking mouth shut Pansy," Hermione said.

"Oi," Brutus yelled but he didn't move to stop her.

Pansy smirked up at the brunette in front of her and whispered, "Scared Granger?"

"You wish Pansy," Hermione responded. She let her hand fall from Pansy's throat and she backed away from the cell. "No one would believe you anyway."

"The Prophet might," Pansy said. "I'd be careful if I were you Granger, the truth is bound to get out sometime."

Hermione heard the door open from the bathing room. With one last glaring look at Pansy, Hermione turned and walked away. Without looking up at Lucius she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the exit. "Let's get the hell out of here," she whispered mostly to herself. Once they had cleared the exit, Lucius felt the familiar tug of Side-Along Apparition. Once they had settled, Hermione began walking towards the kitchen. There was a brief second for him to wonder when she would be magically handcuffed to him, then she stepped more than ten feet away from him. As if being pulled by a leash, Lucius jerkily followed her into the kitchen.

"Miss Granger!" He watched as the girl slammed a bottle of water on the counter. "Will you please explain what the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

She turned, fully expecting to tell the elder Malfoy to keep his nose out of her business, but the moment her eyes fell on him all current thought slipped away. The robes Draco had purchased for him were a deep inky black that seemed to absorb all the light in the room. He had washed and groomed his long blond hair so that it now laid down his back in silky waves like she remembered. It was longer now, half way down his back, and because of the lack of sunlight it had become more white than blonde. Washed of all the grim of prison and dressed back to his station, Hermione could only stared with her mouth gapped open at the man in front of her. "Bloody hell," she whispered.

Lucius chuckled, taking a step closer to the shocked girl. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his lips inches from her flesh, "my dear, you are staring."

It seemed to snap Hermione out of her daze and she jumped back from him. "You clean up well," she said in a meek tone. She looked down at his feet and saw a thin red line of magical energy connecting his right ankle with her left ankle. "Oh, that must be the leash."

"Yes, I had the uncomfortable feeling of being dragged back to you when you walked too far away from me. What the hell happened to you while I was gone? Did those barbaric guards…"

"No one touched me Lucius," Hermione said. _Although I'm fairly sure Pansy will have some light bruising. _"I'm just in a hurry. Harry will be here in an hour. Come on, I have to shower."

The process itself wasn't that difficult. Hermione walked into the shower and Lucius sat in the chair Hermione had put up against the door. While she showered, applied makeup, and fixed her hair; Lucius took in her room. _Very plain, _he thought to himself. _Although it's obvious that the boy Weasley lived here, gaudy Quidditch posters and clothes flung in the corner. No wonder she left him. _

Finishing up the in the bathroom, Hermione stepped out and requested that they switch places so she could get dressed. Once she had finished dressing, she tapped on the door and Lucius walked back into the room. Turning to look at her, his jaw dropped at the sight. Hermione was wearing a black knee length skirt and a white silk blouse with a boat neckline, the sleeves were capped at her shoulder and three little pearl buttons were at the top. She topped the whole outfit off with a pair of high black pumps that included three little pearl buttons down the front and a red belt with a black buckle on her waist. Her hair was down, the soft brown curls flowing down past her shoulders and she had done her makeup light. _She looks… beautiful. _"Lucius," Hermione said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. He tore himself away from those perilously tall high heels and looked up at her. "Is the belt too much color for a funeral?"

"No," Lucius said softly. "I think Narcissa would have found your outfit…" _stylish, intriguing, unbefitting for a Mudblood… what would my late wife had thought about this sassy little Muggleborn escorting me to her funeral? _"Tasteful," he said out loud. "You look remarkable."

"Thank you," she said and a blush crept onto her cheeks. She tapped her left foot, a nervous habit he noticed she did when she was nervous, agitated, or angry. "Come on, we need to be in the living room with Harry arrives."

"So Potter is the escort?" Lucius sat down on the chair next to the fire and Hermione sat down on the couch, her legs crossed demurely at the ankles.

Hermione nodded and reached down to pick up the book on the coffee table. Lucius caught the title, Pride and Prejudice before she placed it on her lap and started reading it. Several moments paced before she said, "stop staring at me."

Lucius, who had indeed been staring at her, laughed softly. "How did you come by such a… extensive collection of shoes?"

Hermione closed her book and looked up at the man in front of her. "Of all the things you notice, my shoe collection is the one you ask about?"

"I like shoes," he said with a shrug. "Humor me will you?"

Hermione smiled and sat her book down on the table. "I like shopping."

"I wasn't aware you were doing well enough to afford an expensive habit like that. Those aren't exactly cheap shoes." He caught the slight frown that began to grace her face and quickly added, "You shop like I used to. And we all know I'm obscenely rich."

Hermione looked down at her shoes, the same shoes that had started this whole conversation. "Well, of course I received a huge payment from the Ministry for my role in the war. I donated most of it to charities, but I kept some. And then there's my salary which isn't exactly small, plus I have two remarkable shopping partners."

"My son must be one," Lucius said thoughtfully. "And the other must be Potter; I don't imagine the Weasley boy being much of a high-end shopper."

"Very astute of you Mister Malfoy," Hermione said. "Your son practically melted into a puddle when we went shopping in Paris last month. And Harry favors shopping in the States." She smirked as she heard a knock on the door. "And I have over two hundred pairs of shoes."

The look on his face amused her greatly as she walked the five feet to the front door. Opening it for Harry, she embraced him in a hug as he walked in the door. "There's been a problem," he said as he shut the door behind him. He followed Hermione into the living room and sat beside her on the couch. "Malfoy," he said in greeting.

Lucius nodded his head and looked away from Potter. Although Harry had spoken out for his wife and Draco, nothing could have kept Lucius out of jail, even though Harry didn't speak out for him. "What problem?" The question came from Hermione, giving Lucius an excuse to turn and look at her.

Harry frowned. "The Aurors have been stationed at the Malfoy Manor," he said. "The Minister felt that additional protection would help people feel less afraid of Lucius being out and about. However, that means…"

"Ron's there," Hermione finished for him, "Oh bugger," she added as she stood up. Walking to the kitchen, she reached the ten feet marker and Lucius stood up jerkily and was dragged towards her.

"Good to see the spell is working," Harry said as he watched Hermione make tea and Lucius stand there sulking. "But there is another problem that I haven't mentioned."

Hermione, steady working on making tea and mumbling incoherent things about her former flame, ignored Harry. Lucius looked over at the "Savior of the Wizarding World" and said, "Do tell Potter."

Harry shivered and stood up to full height. "Don't do that, it makes you eerily like your son. The other problem is in relation to the spell that has you two tethered together. It takes 24 hours to wear off."

Hermione picked up a mug of tea, handed it to Lucius, and then picked up hers and Harry's. She walked into the living room slowly, making sure that Lucius had time to follow her. As she sat down on the couch and Lucius sat down on the chair, Hermione turned to Harry. "I know that," she said. "I talked that little part over with the Ministry. The additional wards will be placed while we are gone to the funeral and will be dropped when I return from the jail tomorrow."

Harry nodded and accepted his tea. "Ron will…"

"Not be able to touch this place while the wards are up. We will only have to worry about him misbehaving at the funeral." Hermione turned to see a very confused Lucius attempting to follow their conversation. "Because the spell takes 24 hours to dissolve, and I adamantly refused to sleep in the jail, you will be staying here for the night."

"No," Lucius said quickly. Harry looked up at him with a confused expression. "I can't sleep here, the press would murder her."

"Oh he cares," a voice said from behind them. "Father, the press couldn't be as bad as it is today."

At Draco's voice, Hermione jumped up and went around pulling him in a hug. Forgetting about the spell, she also managed to shock Lucius enough that he fell out of the chair. "Oh dear," she said, "I'm so sorry Mister Malfoy."

Draco, who was laughing almost as hard as Harry, pulled Hermione close again. "I needed the laugh, thanks." He took the tea she still had in her hand and sipped on it. "The headlines today are terrible, but it seems that Rita Skeeter has decided to forgo your threats finally and join in the gossip. She's written an article that I think you should read." Draco handed her the paper and walked over, taking the chair next to his father's. "Hello father," Draco said.

"What's the article about?"

Harry moved over to Hermione, who was steady reading the paper. Neither one noticed the two blondes whispering in the corner. "What makes you so concerned? You aren't getting attached, are you?"

"I should be the one asking you that, son. Did you plan on informing me that you were moving her into my house?" Lucius sat his tea down on the table and turned his full attention to his son.

Draco smirked. "I knew she would tell you," he said softly. "She hates lying and secrets, a byproduct of the war I think. And as long as you remain in prison, the house is mine."

"She will get me out Draco," Lucius said. "She's got a fire that I haven't seen since…"

"Don't," he added. The last thing Draco needed to be reminded at the moment was how much like Narcissa Hermione was. "Mum isn't even in the ground."

"Your mother and I fell out of love a long time ago," Lucius said. "And I didn't say anything about a romantic interest in Mis… Hermione."

Draco's eyebrows rose at the informal name Lucius used. "You won't get close to her; I'll make sure of it. I won't let you hurt her like you did mum."

"I am not the same man I was son," Lucius said. "And you won't have to worry about anything like that unless I get out of jail."


	4. Chapter 6

**A/N: It was pointed out that my spell-check changed Narcissa to Narcissus. I've gone back to the other chapters and changed this error. Thanks to all my reviewers! I'd give you cookies if I could. **

**X**

**Chapter Six: Breaking News! Malfoy and Granger embrace before funeral!**

**It seems that Miss Granger and Lucius Malfoy cannot manage decorum even at the funeral for his wife. Reporters for this paper have photographic evidence of an embrace between the prisoner and his lawyer. Tales of a gravesite brawl have been rumored but not yet confirmed. **

_There were so many funerals after the war; that eventually people began to understand why Harry, Ron, and I didn't attend them all. Ron wasn't much with emotions, Harry felt as each death was his own fault, and I was struggling to understand how anyone could classify the war as being won when we had lost so much. I remember when Harry had begged and pleaded with Ron and I to attend Severus' funeral. Of course, Ron had blatantly refused, but I agreed to go. It was one of the saddest funerals I had attended. In addition to Harry and me, the only other person who came was Draco. The three of us stood at the edge of the gravesite and watched as they lowered Severus' body into the ground. It felt wrong that only three people had come out to watch him be buried, although I knew that Lucius would have come had he been allowed. Once the service was over, Harry fell to the ground sobbing and it took the combined efforts of me and Malfoy to Apparate him to Grimmauld Place. Taking him to his room, the room that used to belong to Sirius, we forced him to take a Dreamless Sleep Potion and waited until he had fallen asleep. Maybe Malfoy had understood more of Harry's grief in that moment; after all Draco had just lost his godfather and his father was in jail for the rest of his life. Maybe Malfoy had understood that Harry was feeling as if every father-figure that he had was now gone and he was truly alone. Whatever the case was, that was the day that everything changed for Malfoy, Harry, and I. From then on, the three of us were friends. I don't want to think about this funeral, about the pain that I know will be in Malfoy's eyes. I don't want to see both Lucius and Draco drowning in that kind of pain. But I was going so that Lucius could go, and in doing so, I'm forming a more personal bond with Lucius than I want, _Hermione thought as they walked to the gate of the Manor.

Harry had managed to get them past the reporters, cleared them through the Aurors, and Draco led them around the house. Hermione had taken Harry's arm in an effort to keep from falling on the cobblestoned walk-way. Draco was in front of them, Lucius behind them. "Are you sure…"

"It's a bit too late to ask that now, don't you think?" She gripped his arm tighter and he let her inch closer to him. "I didn't see Ron with the other guards."

"He'll be stationed at the gravesite," Harry said. "Benefits of being a war hero and all."

Hermione glanced back at Lucius, who must have felt her looking at him and looked up to meet her eyes. She could see pain swimming there, but he quickly erected his mask of cool indifference. _Interesting, _she thought. _If he can hide his emotion that well, I wonder if he can produce emotion. It would be helpful to my case if when he appeared in court he seemed remorseful rather than cold. _Hermione tore her eyes away from him and looked at the back of Draco. She could see the slight tremble in him as he took careful steps. She remembered once, when Draco had to attend the funeral for a girl he knew named Daphne Greengrass, he admitted to her that in his mind all he could think was step forward, pause, step forward, pause. "Will he cause problems?"

"I don't really know," Harry whispered. "Ron likes his job well enough, but he's angry. He doesn't know about you moving here yet."

"Good thing that," she said softly. "I'm going to see about Lucius, can you check on Draco?"

Harry nodded. Draco and Harry's relationship was tentative but growing stronger every day. Harry let go of Hermione's arm and walked up to stand beside Draco. This left Hermione and Lucius alone together as the other two turned the corner. Lucius stopped beside her and turned to face her. "If we don't catch up, we'll be alone."

"I want to talk to you alone for a minute." She hooked her arm through his and they walked slowly down the path. "Ron is stationed gravesite," she whispered. "I wanted to forewarn you that Ronald isn't exactly happy with me taking your case or my friendship with your son."

"Will he cause problems?" They turned the corner and could see that Draco and Harry had stopped behind a large grove of trees. Draco was sobbing into Harry's shoulder. "My son…"

"He will forgive you one day," Hermione said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder to make sure that he didn't run after him. "And I hope Ron won't cause a scene." She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw that a photographer had broken through the security measures. She watched Lucius follow her gaze and his scowl at the photographer. "It's either let them have a show or they will see Harry and Draco."

Lucius looked towards his son, who was still embracing Potter and sobbing. It was a moment of weakness Draco would never want anyone to see. "A scene it is I think," Lucius said. "Good thing I can act," and in that moment he began to sob softly. Hermione, shocked by the tears, didn't realize it when he pulled her close and buried his face in her neck. His lips were pressed against her ear as he whispered, "You smell like Severus."

"What?" She whispered the one word harshly.

Lucius laughed and the movement cause vibrations on her neck that caused her to gasp. "Severus used to smell like a potion's lab; so do you."

"I was working on a potion last night," she said softly. "Do you miss him?"

"Infinitely more now that she is gone," he said. The she implied the wife he was about to bury. "He could always handle the emotional things better than I could. He was truly a great friend."

She looked over at the photographer, who was taking the pictures of Lucius Malfoy in her arms. She pointed her wand at the man, who took off running in the opposite direction of Harry and Draco. _Fool didn't even turn around, _she thought.

_He has all he needs now. _Both of them separated and looked at each other. "Did you hear that?"

Hermione nodded but didn't speak. Bloody hell! If Lucius Malfoy could talk mind to mind with her, could he read her thoughts? "We need to get to the funeral. We can talk about this later."

He nodded and the continued their walk down the path. As they approached, the sound of Hermione's heels forced the two men in front of her to separate slowly. She placed her hand on Draco's arm and kissed him softly on the cheek. This time they walked all side by side, Hermione's arms linked with both Lucius and Draco and Harry at Draco's side. As the rounded the corner to the gravesite on Malfoy's expansive lawn, he saw the concerned faces of the Minister, the Head Auror, and Ronald Weasley. Ignoring them all, the party of four came to a halt in their place beside the grave. Andromeda was sitting on the opposite side with Teddy Lupin beside her, having made up with her sister after the war. Ginny Weasley, who had been Narcissa's personal healer in the woman's final days, was sitting next to Andromeda and glaring at Hermione. Knowing that Ginny still lived at the Burrow, it was likely that Ron had been venting to his sister about his problems with Hermione. As they all stood around, Hermione caught sight of the one thing she had been hoping to avoid looking at, the coffin. The coffin was a deep cherry wood, with silver hinges and an odd runic saying carved in silver on the lid. _It says, may peace be with you and may your descendants remember your beauty and grace. _She looked up at Lucius, shocked that he would use the strange mindspeak with her after it had clearly freaked her out before. _I had this coffin commissioned, _he said in her head. _I remember standing in the shop and a sudden thought came to me; I will lose my whole family to this foolishness. It was the moment I realized that everything I believed was a lie. And it was a lie my family would die for. _The words of the Minister were drowned out by Lucius' inner monologue to Hermione. _When he first came to power, I was alone. I had the money and the name, but I didn't really have a place. My father, he was one of the original Death Eaters. He went to school with Tom and of course you could see the appeal. I had a choice; I could have turned away from my father and found something else. At the time I graduated, The Dark Lord did not have an interest in me. But my father wanted me to be a Death Eater and soon I was believing everything they told me. _Hermione watched him as he looked over at his son, who was still crying and clutching onto Harry. She saw Ron out of the corner of her eye, watching all four of them intently. _I shouldn't have leaded my family down this path, but by the time I had a family, I was in too deep._

She didn't like this mindspeak thing, but the words she wanted to tell him she couldn't say out loud, especially not with Ron hovering so close. _You didn't cause her death. _

_Didn't I? _He looked down at the coffin and she saw the pain in his eyes, unshed tears threatening to fall. She wondered if the emotion he had 'acted' early for the photographer was really an act. _I loved my wife, but I was never in love with her. And I lead her into all kinds of dangerous situations. She was there when Potter was killed by the Dark Lord. She had no business being at that final battle._

_The doctors said Narcissa had developed a rare strand of tropical magical fever. It had nothing to do with you, with Voldemort, or anything else. It was just her time. _She took his hand in hers, a gesture that she would offer to any friend. The Minister had finished speaking and according to Harry's debriefing, Draco was supposed to speak next. She turned to see that Draco was still sobbing into Harry's shoulder, unable to even think much less speak. _Would you mind if I spoke, I don't think Draco could stand it?_

_I would be honored, _he thought.

Hermione let go of Lucius' hand and the two of them stood up. Walking to the podium, she saw that all eyes, including Ron's were on them. "I think Draco was supposed to speak now," she said softly. "But I know how difficult it is to try and speak at a parent's funeral. I don't even remember how I got through mine, but I had a lot of help from Harry. I've been friends with Harry long enough to gain acceptance of death. It's almost impossible not to lay and bed and think about it or about how close I came to death. But no one ever thinks about dying like Narcissa did. Ginny told me that in her final days, she was still the picture of grace and beauty. I never had a conversation with Narcissa and I don't know much about her. But she was a good person, we all knew that. And she loved her family more than herself. She will forever be remembered as a beautiful woman, who loved her family dearly, and who helped save the Wizarding world. I wish I had known her better, but I know her husband and son. And maybe, once the grief has past, Lucius and Draco will tell me more about her. Rest in peace, Mrs. Malfoy."

Ron was shooting murderous looks at Hermione, but Draco had stood up and Hermione was focused on him. He was being helped by Harry, who seemed to gather that Draco wouldn't be able to walk by himself. As they approached the casket, Draco flicked his wand. Beautiful flowers erupted from the tip and lay down gracefully. Andromeda took Teddy's hand and Ginny followed them as they walked away. The Minister waved the Aurors away until the only people remaining next to the gravesite were Hermione, Lucius, Draco, Harry, Ron, and the Minister himself. "I understand that this spell will dissolve in 24 hours. You are aware that if you do not return Mister Malfoy to the prison thirty minutes before the spell dissipates, you will be charged with attempting to help a prisoner escape and the Aurors will arrest you, thus making you unqualified to continue being a lawyer."

"I understand," Hermione said.

"Do you understand Mister Malfoy, that you are under the care of Miss Granger until 10:00am tomorrow morning and that failure to return to prison will result in prison for Miss Granger and death for you?"

"I understand," Lucius said.

"Wait just a bloody minute," Ron said. Hermione wondered how long it would take him to say something. "Are you telling me that you are allowing this man, who is convicted of worse crimes than half the prisoners in Azkaban, to stay overnight with Hermione?"

The Minister turned to Ron. As an Auror, the Head Auror was your boss and the Minister was his boss, therefore speaking against orders of the Minister could result in being fired. "The spell that tethered him to her cannot be reversed or removed, which is why the spell was chosen. Miss Granger understood this when she accepted the spell being cast upon herself and Mister Malfoy."

It was the wrong thing to say and it took Minister Shacklebolt only a few seconds too late realize that. Harry made a motion to move towards Hermione, but he was being held back by Draco's inability to stand on his own. Ron moved forward, in what could only be seen as an attempt to attack either Hermione or Lucius and Hermione's wand was out before anyone knew what had happened. Ron was lying on the ground several feet from where he had originally been standing, Hermione looked angry, and the Minister looked exasperated. "You…" Ron said from the ground.

"Don't say anything you would regret," Harry reminded him.

"You can shut up," Ron said. "Acting like Malfoy is your best friend when you hated him practically your whole life. He almost killed me, unless you don't remember that part. Beside, this isn't about you." He turned his attention back to Hermione as he stood up. "I should have known, the day you made me leave the house, that it was true. But I didn't want to believe my own girlfriend was a Death Eater's whore."

When the official report was written up; Draco, Harry, and Hermione all took credit for the spell that hit Ron. He was unconscious and bleeding on the ground in the next minute. Draco, who had been racked with grief already, fell to the ground from the extra strain of casting a curse. "I'm going to Apparate him to his hotel room," Harry said. "Will you two be fine getting home by yourselves?"

Hermione nodded but it was the Minister that spoke. "I will be taking Mister Weasley back with me; after he's looked at I will need to file the termination report."

Hermione looked down at Ron, then to Malfoy, and then finally to Harry. "Go, I'll handle all this." She turned to the Minister after she heard the pop of Harry and Draco's departure. "I don't wish for Ronald to be fired," she said. "I will not be pressing charges for the attempted attack. And you would have to understand that I just left Ronald and he's a bit put out about that. Please, don't fire him."

Lucius watched the interaction with interest. "I will also not be pressing charges for attempted attack."

The Minister turned to Lucius with a shocked expression. Since Lucius was under Ministry custody, he could charge Ron with the attempt to attack him and it could help him gain favor in his trial. Showing that a member of the Order, of the Ministry, was willing to discriminate and attack Lucius without being provoked would have been a large plus for their side. "Why would you do that?"

"Because Miss Granger has given up her house, her boyfriend, her reputation, and has risked her job for me. If she doesn't want him charged, I won't do it. I assure you Minister, I have all the faith in the world that Miss Granger will win my case."

Kingsley turned to Hermione and she saw the brief smirk on his face. "As do I, Mister Malfoy."


	5. Chapter 7

_A/N: Two chapters in two days! Woot! I probably won't be updating the rest of the week until Saturday because it's the holidays and I think I'm going to take a little break and do a one shot for Thanksgiving. Also, I usually update this at work and I'm training a new girl starting today. If I can update, I will. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. _

**Chapter Seven- Granger and Malfoy spend the night alone**

**Hermione Granger was seen Apparating away from the gravesite, leaving an unconscious Ronald Weasley with the Minister. Hot on her heels was Lucius Malfoy, who is still magically handcuffed to Miss Granger. It seems that the two will be spending the night alone in the house Miss Granger used to share with Ronald Weasley. As Rita Skeeter reported, Miss Granger kicked the youngest Weasley out of his own home in a rage for him standing up to her about her indiscretions. A reliable source also confirms that Miss Granger will be moving in with her longtime boy-toy, who is none other than Lucius Malfoy's own son, Draco. No word yet on how the other feels about her playing them against each other. Are we finally able to see why the son isn't visiting his father in prison? See Rita Skeeter's exclusive interview with Pansy Parkinson, minimal security prisoner in Azkaban and privy to untold details about Hermione Granger's dark secret.**

He was standing in the bathroom, waiting for Hermione to change out of her funeral outfit. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he wondered if she found the way his cheeks had sunk in and how pale and washed out he seemed unattractive. He certainly felt unattractive. Prison had worn him down and although he still looked mostly the same, he could see the defeat written on his feature. Certainly being a criminal did not help his case in these matters. Although for the life of him, he could not understand why he wanted Hermione to think he was attractive. She was his lawyer, his only hope of escaping that hellhole and retaining some kind of life. But she was also brilliant, sassy, attractive, and defiantly knew how to dress. He remembered when his son had written him that Hermione had agreed to take the case. His letter had one warning and requested one promise, _be careful, she's easy to love and please promise you won't touch her. _He had thought that his son was dating the young lawyer then, or at least had feelings for him. His suspension grew as he noticed her attire, her love for expensive shoes, and the briefcase she had acquired two weeks after their first meeting. But it seemed that Draco and Hermione were only friends, which meant that the brunette was available and Lucius could turn his charms on her. He just wished he knew why he wanted to seduce the witch. "Lucius, would you like me to transfigure you some lounge clothes?"

Her voice travelled through the door and he knew she must be ready now. "No, that's alright Miss… Hermione." He wanted to keep the expensive robes on until the last second, until he was forced back into the prison robes.

The door knob turned and she opened the door slowly. He smirked down at her, dressed in her little white shorts and blue tank top. She was barefoot and he had a brief flash of that slim foot arched up delicately in those sky high heels. "I'm not wearing shoes, what's your excuse now?"

"I like feet," he said with a shrug. He stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. "You look…" he struggled with the word before whispering, "young."

Hermione laughed as they walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch and he took a seat on the chair he occupied earlier. "I haven't felt young in a long time," she said. "Would you like me to make some tea?"

He shook his head, staring into the empty fire. "Once, not so long ago, if you would have told me that I was sitting in Hermione Granger's apartment, I would have cursed you."

Hermione nodded. "Indeed, if anyone had told me I would have attended Narcissa's funeral, I would have called them insane."

"Will he be ok?"

Hermione knew that he was worried about his son, that he wished he could be more of a comfort to him. "I'll go see him after I take you back tomorrow. It's a good bet that Harry's currently asleep on Draco's couch as we speak."

"There's another thing, Draco being friends with Potter. I remember when Draco used to come home from school, complaining about the heroic things Potter did and the obvious favoritisms of Dumbledore." Lucius smirked, "I used to tell him Malfoys did not get envious, we got revenge."

"War changes people," Hermione said softly. "Do you know that your son, Harry, and I were the only people at Severus' funeral? Draco had to help me get Harry home. I think that in a way, Draco finally understood some of Harry's pain. Harry had already lost his godfather and in Severus he saw a wasted opportunity to connect to a man he had been deeply wrong about."

"Severus would have hated it," Lucius said. "Potter was still James' brat… he was only half of Lily."

Hermione nodded. Harry knew that had Severus lived, he wouldn't have liked the young Gryffindor anymore that he had in school. Perhaps they could have had a working relationship, but a personal one seemed likely to happen. "I do miss Severus sometimes," she said softly. "I had a bit of a crush on him during school."

Lucius laughed a deep and throaty laugh that Hermione found herself wanting to hear more often. "I believe he will be turning over in his grave as we speak"

Hermione giggled and reached over her shoulder to grab that blanket there. "Indeed," she said. "Regardless, we were all terribly wrong about Severus."

"It's often easy to make assumptions and even easier to make the wrong ones," Lucius said. "Severus didn't make it easy for people to see the good side of him."

"Neither did you," she pointed out.

"Showing the good side of me would have resulted in my death," Lucius stated, his eyes looking at the floor. "Severus has a cover; he could have been nice and blamed the kindness on playing to Dumbledore's sentiments. I was to show no one anything other than what I had been told, what I had been taught."

"If you wish to make amends, you should start with Harry." Hermione had covered herself with the blanket and curled her legs up into herself. "Mostly, you need to seek forgiveness for yourself. If you truly didn't mean the things you did, if you truly wished your life had been different, if you are truly sorry; you need to start with apologizing to the people you hurt."

Lucius looked up at her and she could see the thoughts plaguing him. "Did I hurt you?"

Hermione had to consider if Lucius' actions ever did hurt her. Most of what she faced was Draco, who technically was taught the things he hurt her with from Lucius. "I wouldn't say directly," she said softly. "Most of the taunting and hurt I suffered came from Draco."

"Yet you forgave him?" Lucius was tapping the chair with his finger.

"Not overnight," Hermione said. "It took a fair amount of apologizing and conversation before I believed that Draco truly wanted to become friends. I was the first person to openly accept Draco as a friend. Harry didn't warm up until after Severus' funeral."

Lucius averted his eyes from her and went back to staring at the floor. "My son's actions were my fault."

Years of being involved in wars made Lucius keenly aware that Hermione had moved from her position on the couch. When he looked up, the young girl was sitting on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. "Perhaps," she agreed. "Draco admitted that a fair bit of what he did and said was imitation. But then, can the same not be said for you?"

"My weakness does not excuse my actions," he said. "I am sorry, for what it matters, that my son and I were responsible for causing you pain."

"I had already forgiven you," Hermione said, "when I took your case."

Lucius leaned forward slightly in his chair, making the distance between them that much smaller. "When you took the case, did you believe me to be guilty of all the crimes they charged me with?"

"I knew that terrorism and treason against the Ministry were legitimate charges. The charges of murder, rape, violence against children, torture, and psychological warfare were tacked on to keep you in jail; there was no evidence of any of those crimes." Hermione looked at the mantel over the fire, which held her favorite picture of her and Ron. "I don't think anyone expected me to try so hard to get you out."

Lucius followed her gaze to the picture. "If you drop this case, you might be able to get him back."

Hermione shook her head and tore her gaze away from the picture. "Even if I did drop the case, I don't think I'd want Ronald back. Truth be told, I knew months before I started your case that the two of us wouldn't work out. And besides, if Pansy stays true to her word…"

"What about Mrs. Parkinson?" Lucius smirked, "Am I about to find out what upset you so much at the prison?"

Hermione stood up and walked over to the fire. "I might as well tell you, before you have to read it in the paper." She turned around, her back to the fire, and looked at him. "Pansy found me in a compromising position in school during my sixth year."

"Many sixth years are found in similar positions," Lucius pointed out.

Hermione nodded, "but unlike most students, it's not every day that the Gryffindor Golden Girl is found with a Slytherin." Lucius raised one eyebrow at that statement, obviously thinking it was his son she was found with. "It wasn't Draco," Hermione said. "It was Blaise Zambini," she said softly. "We had a class together that I didn't share with the boys, Ancient Ruins, and we partnered together frequently. It just ended up that I was hurt over Ron and Blaise had been harboring feelings for me. And one night, after studying late in the library, we ended up in an unused classroom near the dungeons. We were lucky, I think Severus had been called away that night or he would have found us. Instead, Pansy found us together. She threatened me that if I didn't get her out, she'd tell the world she found me with a marked Death Eater back in school. I won't bend to her will and I think she knows my threats are hallow since I can't touch her in prison. I'm almost sure she will go to the press."

"I didn't think anyone knew that Zambini was marked," Lucius said. "Even Draco wasn't informed."

"It's hard to hide the mark when you are naked," Hermione said. "But he told me about it way before I slept with him. He regretted it, he said that the reason no one even knew he was marked was because Voldemort wanted him to be a spy at the school."

Lucius nodded, "Was that the article my son brought you?"

"Oh no," Hermione said. "Even Draco doesn't know about this. That article was the first from Rita Skeeter about Ron's inner pain. During fourth year, I discovered that Rita was an unregistered Animagus and blackmailed her. It was meant to keep her from writing anything more about Harry really, but it benefitted me as well. Up until now, she's stayed out of the slander the Prophet has been writing."

"And will this new information affect your relationship with my son or Potter?"

Hermione shook her head. "Harry knows, of course I told him once I Blaise had died. And Draco has no romantic interest in me, so I don't think he will be upset. But Ron..." Hermione paused and turned back to the picture on her mantel. "It will just reaffirm that Ron should believe the rumors that I'm a Death Eater whore."

She didn't know when she had started crying, she didn't know when Lucius had left his chair, but a few minutes later she felt tentative hands on her arms. "Weasley has always been, and will always be, a fool. And you are no whore," he said the last part softly.

She turned in his arms slowly, looking up into his gray eyes. "Aren't I," she asked? "Doesn't sleeping with Blaise and being attracted to you make me exactly what the papers say?"

"Being attracted to someone does not make you a whore," Lucius said. "Nor does a teenage girl falling into someone's arms after being publicly rejected make you one either. And the papers state that you are shagging both my son and I, which is hardly true. And even if they were, who is the Prophet to judge others on their actions? That paper has become nothing but a gossip rag."

She noticed how he skated over her admittance to an attraction to him. "But it does prove Ron's point… this case stopped being just a case a while ago."

"How long ago," he asked?

"Week ago," she said softly. "Back when you were telling me about the torture you endured in his service. I might have known earlier, but I was blind. I was still pretending that I was in a happy relationship with Ron. I'm not blind anymore and I'm done pretending," she said.

Lucius let the girl go and took a step back. "I promised my son I wouldn't touch you," he said harshly.

"I made the same promise," she said. "It's funny that Draco seemed to realize we would be compatible even before all this started."

Lucius smirked, "My son has good instincts. But he is right, nothing romantic can happen while you are still my lawyer and I still remain in jail."

"Romantic," she said with a glint of amusement in her eyes. "And hot shagging, can that happen while you are still a prisoner and I'm your lawyer?"

A growl emitted from Lucius' lips and he took a step towards her. It didn't close the distance that his large step back had caused before, but he was close enough to reach out and grab her if he wanted. In fact, it looked as if the man was struggling not to do that very action. "Be careful Hermione," he said in a rough whisper.

"I always am, Mr. Malfoy." She stood her ground, staring into his eyes.

Promises be damned, Lucius grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. Looking down at the woman in his arms, he wondered if this would change everything. "Say my name," he whispered.

"Lucius," she said in a breathy moan. His eyes sparked with something resembling fire, and she pressed her body against him. "If you don't step away from me," she whispered, "I won't be held responsible for what happens."

As it was, he didn't need to step away from her. In that moment, Harry and Draco arrived with a pop, successfully causing the two to jump away from each other. "We have another problem," Harry said.

"More than just one I think," Draco said softly. "I thought I told you…"

"Now is not the time for this, son. What is the problem, Mister Potter?" Lucius sat down in the chair he had previously occupied and Hermione sat in the chair beside him. The effect of this choice was not lost on either man, who looked at the two suspiciously.

"Did we interrupt something?" Harry tried to keep his voice flat and emotionless.

Draco sat down on the couch, barely noticing when Harry sat beside him. "Indeed, I think we did."

Lucius sat up, if possible, straighter and linked his fingers together. "Must we discuss this?"

"I agree; anything that happens between me and Lucius is our business." Hermione turned to Harry. "What's the problem?"

"Rita," he said. "Pansy talked to her and the Prophet sent out a special night issue."

"Let me see it," she said. Draco pulled the paper out from his cloak and tossed it to her.

_**Hermione Granger: Traitor for Years**_

Underneath this headline were three pictures; the picture of Hermione and Draco shopping, the picture of Hermione and Lucius at the funeral, and the old picture of Hermione and Viktor at the Yule Ball.

_**It came as no shock to me that I received a letter yesterday from a prisoner in Azkaban asking me to come quickly. She sweetened the plot by informing me that she had information, and proof, of Hermione Granger's affiliation with Death Eaters long before the war ended. In an exclusive interview with Miss Pansy Parkinson, I have unveiled more about the truth of Hermione Granger's wickedness and further proof that she has been a heartbreaking harlot for years. **_

_**Miss Parkinson is brought into the interview room looking far worse than one would expect. The remarkably good looks of her youth have been wasted away from the year she has spent in prison. Her crimes are the same as Draco Malfoy, following her parents' footsteps into a life she never expected. "I was always taught that I would uphold the title of a pureblood, that meant following and helping the Dark Lord's cause." Of course, this reporter wonders if she should be in prison at all, if Draco Malfoy is allowed to be free. "I'm very glad that Draco isn't in this hellhole, but he has done things that are far worse than what I am accused of. But that's neither here nor there, I'm not trying to plead my case but show light on a subject that has only been speculation at this point." Of course, Miss Parkinson's selfness moved me but she was quite insistent that we speak no more of her own charges. "I've already spoken against Miss Granger, back in our fourth year. Back then she had a thing for Quidditch players and fame; she was linked to Harry Potter and Viktor Krum that year. She was also linked to Cormac McLaggen in our sixth year. But what people don't know is that sixth year was also the year that Hermione Granger also had a thing for Death Eaters." **_

_**Of course, this comes as no surprise to the readers of the Prophet. Photographic evidence of a relationship with both Malfoys has made headings in the past few weeks. "Before the Malfoys even came along," Miss Parkinson said, "I caught Hermione Granger in a comprising position with another Hogwarts student." We were told back when the younger Malfoy fled the school, that he was the only marked Death Eater student. "It's true that the only marked Death Eater that was known to Harry Potter was Draco Malfoy, but this is only because Hermione Granger was keeping a deep secret." Intrigued as I was, it only made sense to make sure that Miss Parkinson had proof. "Oh I have proof, but that comes later."**_

_**Miss Parkinson leaned back against the seat and a troubled look crossed her delicate features. "I was patrolling the dungeons one night when I heard sounds coming from an empty classroom. When I walked in, I found Hermione Granger and Blaise Zambini in an intimate position. Of course, one cannot hide the Dark Mark while naked. I had wondered, Blaise had been acting odd for weeks and I now knew why. Hermione left after dressing and Blaise made me swear not to tell anyone what I had seen. It would have meant his death if anyone found out he was touching a Muggleborn, so I kept quiet. I kept expecting for Hermione to tell Harry about the mark, but it seemed that Miss Granger cared more for her secrets then she did her war." And the proof, I wanted to know more about the proof of this as well. "When Blaise died in the war, I found out that he had registered a will with the Ministry before the Dark Lord's take over. In it, Blaise gave all of his homes, possessions, and funds to Hermione Jean Granger."**_

_**Miss Parkinson couldn't tell us more about the Malfoy's, other than she had seen Miss Granger drag Lucius Malfoy out of the jail yesterday morning. A quick trip to the Ministry confirmed that Miss Parkinson was correct, the will of Blaise Zambini did exist and he had left everything he owned to Miss Granger. It is clear that Miss Granger had begun turning her back to Harry Potter's cause long before the war ended, and continues to be laughing in the face of all those who think her to be the Golden Girl in the Golden Trio.**_

_**-Rita Skeeter**_

Hermione threw the paper down on the table and laughed. "My, my… do you feel betrayed Harry?"

"Why is this funny?" Draco turned to look at Harry. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew" Harry said. "Do you think I would be so calm about all this if I hadn't? Hermione told me right after the will went through."

Lucius, who had been silent thus far, turned to Hermione. "When you were explaining how you could afford to buy all those expensive shoes, you failed to mention you were given the fortune of one of the largest pureblood families in Italy."

"Blaise's death isn't something I talk about," she said softly. "And all the things he left me, they are just things. I trade them all back to have Blaise living again."

"Hermione thinks that it's her fault Blaise is dead." Harry leaned back against the couch.

Draco turned to look at her and could see that this was not a conversation she wanted to have. "He wanted to fight in that battle Hermione."

"I don't want to talk about this," she said quickly. "Whatever went on with Blaise and I ended long ago. I assume, Harry, that the problem has something to do with Ron."

"He's downstairs, trying to break through the wards on this place." Harry turned to Draco. "We were in Draco's hotel room, drinking and talking, when the alarms on this place sounded. About the time we went to leave, the paper came in. We tried to talk some sense into Ron, but he took one look at Draco and lost all reason. We think you should take Malfoy back to the prison."

Hermione looked over at him. "I'm still magically handcuffed to him," she added.

"We know," Draco said, "but the prison is safer than this house. It's technically Ron's anyways; it's only a matter of time before he breaks the wards."

"She can't stay in the prison," Lucius said. "They'll take her wand and force her into that cell with me."

"She doesn't really have a choice," Harry said. "If you stay here, there is going to be a fight. You don't have a wand and attacking Ron, even in self-defense, will result in dismissal of your case."

"He's right," Hermione said. "If Ron breaks through, he'll want to hurt you. We have a good shot of winning this case; I don't want it thrown out because Ron is a child."

"Get dressed," Harry said, "and we will escort you to the prison."

**A/N: I need to add a little warning for future chapters. I know that this chapter makes it seem like Hermione and Lucius are about to jump into bed together, but his trial will be starting soon and someone else is about to enter the picture. Also, Harry and Draco's relationship will become more intimate, but nothing in any detail…. At least not at the moment. **


	6. Chapter 8

_A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to post this chapter until Saturday because I was writing a one-shot for Thanksgiving. But I decided to post this since I didn't get around to the one shot. Enjoy. _

**Chapter Eight- Granger moves into Malfoy Manor**

**Reporters caught sight of Ronald Weasley trying to break through the wards around his apartment last night, shouting for Miss Granger to emerge. The obvious breaking point for Mister Weasley was the night edition of the Prophet, in which our faithful journalist Rita Skeeter reported that Miss Granger had an affair with Blaise Zambini, a marked Death Eater, back in school. Four people emerged from Mister Weasley's apartment; Mister Potter, Mister Draco Malfoy, Miss Granger, and Lucius Malfoy. All four of them Apparated in order to avoid speaking with Mister Weasley as they left. Sources in the prison say that because of the 24-hour time limit placed on the spell keeping Lucius within 10 yards of Miss Granger, Hermione spent the rest of the night wandless in Malfoy's jail cell. The morning brings us the site of Miss Granger removing her belongings from her apartment with Mister Weasley and heading into the Malfoy Manor with Draco Malfoy at her side.**

Hermione tugged the sweater she was wearing down with one hand, still reaching on her tiptoes with her arm extended above her, attempting to reach a can of coffee on the top shelf. "Blast," she whispered as she managed to push the can back further and gave it up as a failed attempt.

"Are you a witch or not?" Draco said flicking his wand and the can of coffee settled down on the kitchen counter.

"Is that a remark at my blood, Mister Malfoy?" Hermione threw him a smirk and began to make a pot of coffee with the coffee maker she had moved in.

Draco sat down in one of the bar stools sitting on the other side of the island in the middle of the kitchen. Boxes were stacked all around them, including on the island. He pulled out a small toy ball, wondering where on earth it had come from, before throwing it up in the air and catching. "Not at all, just your dismal skills at being practical and efficient."

Hermione turned, thoroughly planning to throw him a look of pure and utter distaste, when she caught site of the ball he was playing with. "Do you know what that is?" He shook his head, catching it again and holding it up to the light. "That was Crookshank's cat toy," she said softly. "Sirius used to buy him more toys than he knew what to do with."

"That was that ugly cat of yours, right? What happened to him?" He resumed playing with ball, apparently not caring that it used to belong to a cat.

"He was with my parents during the house fire," she whispered. "I've often wanted to get another kitten, but Ron didn't want any pets."

Draco threw the ball at her, which she caught with ease. "Feel free to get one now," he said. "I think a kitten might just liven this place up a bit."

Hermione smiled and handed him a cup of the coffee. Draco wrinkled his nose. "I will think about it, but thank you. And don't look at it like that, I make good coffee and we need the added boost if we are going to accomplish anything today."

Draco took a swig, conceded with a shrug that it was passable, and smirked. "What do you want to do today?"

* * *

They burned everything that Draco couldn't find a sentimental reason to keep. They burned all the living room and dining room furniture, all the rugs, and any paintings of Malfoy family members that objected to Hermione being there, including Draco's own grandfather. They broke all the china that had been used during the time Voldemort inhabited the house, packed all the bedding from all rooms in boxes to give away, and with a flick of his wand Draco turned all the walls white. "It's like starting all over with a new house," he said as he stood in the middle of the living room. Everything that the kept had been packed in boxes, giving the illusion that Hermione and Draco had just moved in, and these were being kept in a guest bedroom in the West tower. "Now," he said sternly. "I'm not going to take any objections, but you will have your own tower. Now Father has the East tower, which I haven't touched. It will be up to him to decide what he needs or wants to keep. Mother used to have the North tower; she said it had the best view of the garden. I have the South tower. You can choose between the North tower and the West tower."

Hermione looked at him and giggled. "This house is way too big for just the two of us, but I'll take the West tower," she said. "I can do anything to it?"

Draco nodded, walking with her down the hallway that leads to her wing. "All the towers have two floors. One the lower floor is one bedroom, a bath, a study, and the sun room. Both the bedroom and the sunroom have decks. Upstairs is the master bedroom and bath, as well as another bedroom with a bath. There is also a library, office, and a laundry room."

"All that is mine?" Hermione asked as they walked up the stairs and entered the top floor of her tower.

Draco laughed and pulled her along towards a door at the end of the hall. "The library and both rooms have decks." He pulled open the door at the end of the hall and pushed her inside. Inside the room, from floor to ceiling, the walls were covered with bookshelves. There was only one shelve that was filled with books, the rest were empty. In the middle of one wall was a fireplace and at the end of the room was the door to the deck. "The books that are already in here are quite remarkable in their design. Each book represents a topic, or a series of topics, from the Malfoy family library in the main section of the house. Just pick up a book with the topic you are interested in, say what you are looking for, and a list of reference books will appear on the cover. Choose the book that you want to read and say the name. When you open the book, the pages will be of the book you chose that resides in the family library. If you want another book, just close the cover and the list will come back up."

"That is amazing," Hermione said as she lifted one of the books. "Political prisoners and cases against them," she said. The cover glowed orange, and then the lettering appeared. "Practical Approaches to winning Political prisoner cases," and she opened the book. "Oh my," she whispered. "Who put this system in?"

"Severus," Draco said. "This used to be his tower. In the study downstairs, there is a door on the floor. It leads down to a room that can only be accessed by that door. It was his potions lab."

Hermione sucked in a breath and put the book of the shelf. "I would like to see that," she said. Draco nodded and led the way.

* * *

In his cell, Lucius felt the tug of the wards on the Manor. Although not still connected to them, as the owner of the house he could feel when things were changing. He wondered that they were doing and to what extent Draco was going to so that he would be free of all bad memories he had of the place. Thinking about the towers, he wondered if Hermione would take his former wife's North tower, or his former best friend's West tower. Remembering the spells Severus placed on the library and the lab, his money was on the West tower. "Lost in thought," a voice asked him.

Lucius looked up to see Avery staring at him. "Not now," Lucius said with a sneer. "What do you want?"

"How much did Granger ask for to take your case?" Avery was sitting on his bed, a book in his hand.

"She didn't take money," Lucius said. "She did it as a favor to my son."

"So she is fucking him," Avery said with a leer. "I always knew she was a harlot."

Something about the way Avery spoke made Lucius concerned. "How do you know Granger?"

"We've met," Avery said and he rubbed a hand over his chest in a nervous gesture. "We've both left our marks on each other."

Lucius frowned, "What mark did she leave on you?"

Avery lifted up his shirt, showing Lucius a deep red scar that ran down Avery's side. "That bitch is the reason I'm in this hellhole."

"Your choices are the reason you are in here Avery," Lucius said as he leaned back against the wall. "What mark did you leave on her?"

Avery laughed a cold laugh that Lucius had heard before from the man. "If the little bitch didn't tell you, why would I ruin the surprise?"

* * *

Hermione was walking down Diagon Alley, ignoring the people around her by thinking about the upcoming trial. "Hermione," she heard the voice yelling after her from behind. Turning slowly, fully expecting another mindless reporter, she waited for the person calling after her to catch up. When she saw the red hair, she cursed under her breath. "Bloody hell you walk fast," he said breathlessly. She breathed a slight sigh of relief that it wasn't Ron, but George wasn't much better.

"What do you want George?" Hermione tapped her foot impatiently. She was supposed to be at the prison in five minutes to speak with Lucius about going to court tomorrow. She had dressed, she'd admit to herself, in hopes that he would appreciate the change in color. She wore a black linen skirt that stopped at the top of her knees. She paired the skirt with a bright pink sleeveless top that had a low v-neck and a pair of bright pink silk pumps. She wore a white gold and black diamond snake necklace with emerald eyes and a pair of emerald earring. _I don't know why I'm dressing up for him," _she thought to herself. _I need to focus on his case, not on him._

"Looking good Granger," George said with a whistle. In the months after his brother's death, Hermione had stayed with him day and night. Of all the Weasley's, George was the only one who could not find comfort in being around his family. Ron was so jealous of the arrangement that he went over to George's flat one night, drunk and angry, and started a fight. Both men ended up in St. Mungo's and after that night, George asked Hermione not to come back if it was going to cause problems with her and Ron. She should have stayed with him instead, as it turned out Ron wasn't the one for her after all. It turned out well as George got better; he went out more, he saw his family more, and he eventually regained the prankster attitude that he and his brother had been known for. "I wanted to congratulate you."

Hermione pulled him into the alley between Flourish and Blott's and Madam Malkin's, looking around for any sign of press. "George Weasley, be quiet. You know the press is after any little bit of information about me."

"Do you have things to hide?" He winked at her and pulled her into a hug. "My congratulations come from finally leaving Ron."

It was no surprise that after the fight the two boys had had that neither one was willing to apologize or mend their relationship. Ron held true that he had every right to be angry at George, while George held to the fact that everything between Hermione and him had been innocent. "Well, thank you I suppose. I'm actually on my way to the prison, so if that's all…"

She walked around him before he pulled her back by the arm. "Go out with me Granger," George said. "Tomorrow night, dinner and a drink," he smiled, "I'll even let you talk about the case."

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. Dating George would invite all kinds of malicious rumors and speculations from the press. There was also that brief moment with Lucius in the sitting room… a moment that would have been so much more if Harry and Draco had not interrupted. Thinking back to that night, she **had **been an emotional mess thanks to the funeral and Ron's actions, maybe she was just clinging to a man she knew understood her own frustrations at being categorized. It wouldn't hurt to go out with George for one night, to see if she could forget about the lusty look Lucius gave her that pulled on things in her body. "Okay George, I'll go out tomorrow night with you."

"Brilliant," George said and kissed her hand with flair. "I'll meet you at courtroom; I'd planned on going to the trial anyways."

"Why are you going to the trial?" She eyed him suspiciously.

George gave her a wink, "Must you think I'm up to no good all the time. Harry was telling me about the case on his last trip to the store and I said I wanted to go, show my support for both you and Lucius. Harry managed to pull a few strings. Maybe I'll even get to punch a reporter for you." His eyes lit up at the chance to be gallant for her.

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave George a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow George," she said. Turning to walk away, she thought of something else. "Stay out of trouble," she added.


	7. Chapter 9

_A/N: Ok guys, another chapter. I've actually just purchased my new mac book, which should be here in a day or two. That means I will have a working laptop at the house and can stop writing all this at work. :) I'm sure my boss will be much happier. Anyways, onward to the next chaper. Enjoy. _

**Chapter Nine- First Day of Court**

**Today the opening statements from Miss Hermione Granger and the Ministry lawyer Mr. Augustus Pyle will start the proceedings. Mr. Pyle, a man of very good standing with the Ministry, has thus far been kept out of the press. He remains vigilant in both his moral standings and his political stance. In a quote taken before council enter the chambers, Mr. Pyle said that he felt all Death Eaters should remain in prison, but that Lucius Malfoy's actions over the years show that he is capable of changing his mask to benefit himself. Miss Granger, as usual, refused to comment to the Prophet but was seen giving an interview to the Quibbler. A special night edition will be released tonight to summarize the people in attendance and the statements made by each council.**

He didn't remember the last time he was this nervous, not even at his original trial. It may have been that he knew he would be convicted at his original trial and that this was a trial of hope. Or, it could be the bushy-haired witch next to him who had worked herself into a right frenzy. She was tapping her foot, which was encased in a sapphire blue pair of strappy heels that matched the sapphire blue of her linen pants. She wore a more demure shirt than she had yesterday; this one was long sleeved navy wool with a stitched in argil vest of black and sapphire blue. She looked… _pure, she looked pure and innocent, _he thought. That line of thought brought him to the lewd look on Avery's face when he spoke of her and he subconsciously scanned her for marks. "Stop looking at me," she hissed under her breath. They were waiting for the Wizengamot to get there, only a few members had trickled in. Behind them sat their supporters, quite a bit more people than he would have guessed. Directly behind them was Potter, beside him was George Weasley and his brothers Bill and Charlie. Arthur was also there, a few rows back with the rest of the Weasley family. He knew that most of them were there to support Hermione, not him. The odd girl from the Ministry, Luna Lovegood was also there after taking quotes from Hermione. And then there was his son. He hadn't expected Draco to turn up for the trial; it looked as if Draco still might flee from the courtroom at any moment. He was sitting on the other side of Potter and to his shock; his hand was in Potter's.

"Is my son dating Potter," he hissed into Hermione's ear.

No one could confuse the conversation between the two as friendly, Lucius suddenly looked livid and Hermione exasperated. "I hadn't thought to ask, with all the preparing I've been doing for today. But I could turn around and ask now if you'd like, I'm sure the Prophet will love the story."

He glared at her, but did not say anything else. Snide remarks about Potter fell in his throat as he looked at the two combined hands. His son's knuckles were white from holding Potter's hand so tightly. Whether or not Potter felt the pain, nothing showed on his face. He was looking over at the slowly emerging Wizengamot, possible remembering when he had held a seat there after the war. Potter had stepped down from his position after making sure that Lucius' wife and son were cleared, as well as Sirius and Severus posthumously. But then he let the captured Death Eater trials go by without his assistance or judgment at all. "Will the defendant please rise?"

Lucius looked up, shocked to see that the whole Wizengamot had filed in while he was contemplating his son's relationships. Standing up slowly with Hermione, he looked up at Minister Shacklebolt, a man who was hoping that Hermione would clear Lucius' name. Why was he hoping for that, Lucius still wondered? "I would like to begin this trial by stating that if I had not been given sufficient evidence to support a retrial of Mr. Malfoy's case, I would not have entertained this motion. We, as members of the Wizengamot, will refrain from placing personal judgments and assumptions upon the defendant until we have heard all evidence and arguments. Is there any member of this court that cannot do this?"

He watched the court, keeping his face carefully controlled. He saw Susan Bones, whose mother's murder Lucius had been present at. Neville Longbottom also sat up there, which was present at the Department of Mysteries with Potter and Granger. Would these people be able to see him an innocent of his crimes? He shot a look at Hermione, fear falling into his eyes as he waited without breathing. "May I address the court," Longbottom said. The Minster nodded his head and Neville stood up. "I'm Neville Longbottom, Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. I was also present that the Battle in the Department of Mysteries, which Lucius Malfoy was also present at. I would like to state that if there is information of Lucius' innocence, I would like to hear it. I can see a changed man and I hold no judgments of things I do not have the full story of."

"Well said," the Minister said. "We will continue on with the trial. Mr. Pyle, you have the open statements first."

Lucius remembered Pyle, a little slip of a man who had tried him the first time around. Pyle stood up and cleared his throat. "As we all know, Lucius Malfoy has been in this courtroom many times. Each time before the second war, rumors of Lucius' Death Eater activities were overlooked due to the amount of gold Lucius provided the Ministry and other persons. He has the ability to manipulate his emotions and his demeanor to benefit the only person Lucius Malfoy cares for, himself. I ask you good honest witches and wizards to remember that his man is capable of some of the worst crimes this court has seen and refused to speak in his own defense at his first trial after the war. It seems that Mr. Malfoy is now ready to speak because he had come up with a brilliant excuse for his actions over the year. Do not be fooled, this man is evil."

Pyle stepped back around his desk and sat down. He motioned for Hermione, as if to say… if you must. Hermione stood up slowly, smoothing down her sweater as she did. "Mr. Pyle has a point. Mr. Malfoy has been able to change his emotions and demeanor over the years. It was common for all Death Eaters to learn to school their emotions. Voldemort did not take any kind of questioning, and to show distaste for anything he did was punishable. It was often common to be tortured for disagreeing with him. I will not stand here and insult your intelligence; Mr. Malfoy did believe that Muggleborns were beneath purebloods. He joined the Death Eaters at the insistence of his father at a young age. Once Lucius had a family, although he knew it was too late to change anything, he was stuck with the guilt that his family would be in danger from his actions. When Voldemort disappeared, Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. He entered regular society and although those beliefs were still in him, he kept mostly out of trouble. He regrets that Voldemort returned to power and that not only did he have to serve, but his son did as well. Lucius asks that you listen to him, to his opinions and thoughts now, and you will see as I see that Lucius Malfoy is a changed man."

Hermione walked back around and sat down next to him. "Thank you council," the Minister said. "We will start with the witnesses tomorrow. We have one more order of business to discuss. Miss Granger has requested that Mr. Malfoy be placed under her care, warded and wandless in the house she resides in, for the remainder of the trial. The Head Auror said that he would feel more comfortable if Mister Potter was also allowed on the premises, which Miss Granger said would be no problem. After discussion, we feel that it would be safe to allow this. All those in favor, say I."

Nearly all the Wizengamot agreed to the motion, surprising the courtroom and Lucius. Smiling, Hermione watched the guards take off the magical handcuffs and watched Harry perform the wards on Lucius. "Thank you," Lucius said to them all.

"You are welcome Mr. Malfoy," Minister Shacklebolt said. "We will reconvene tomorrow."

As the court filed out, Lucius turned towards the people sitting behind him. The first person who came up to them was Luna, who shook hands with them both. "I will be around tomorrow night after the first round of witnesses for the interview," she said softly.

The next people to come up to them were Charlie and Bill, who shook both their hands and promised their support. They turned to George, waiting for him to come with them and join the other Weasley's. "You two go on," George said. George hung back in his seat while Harry and Draco approached, which Lucius thought was odd.

"Let's go Dad," Draco said softly. "Harry and I are escorting you to the Manor."

He turned to Hermione, a frown on his face, and asked, "Are you not joining us?"

"I have plans with George first. I'll be home later," she said with a smile. She handed Harry her briefcase and gave him a hug.

"Shall we, Miss Granger," George asked, extending his arm for her.

Hermione grinned and took his arm. She missed the look of anger and frustration in Lucius' eyes, but Draco didn't.


	8. Chapter 10

_A/N: I know, I know. I should be tortured. Put me on the rack if it will make you feel better. I know it's been a while since I've updated, but I've had a very odd few weeks. This is the next chapter and I will probably start updating once a week. _

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Ten- Granger's Hot Date**

**The Prophet reports it here first that Hermione Granger was seen dancing the night away with George Weasley after an embrace in the Ministry. With both Malfoy's now living with Miss Granger, it seems that her appetite for men is insatiable. Miss Granger and Mister Weasley (her former live-in boyfriend's brother) were seen having dinner at a restaurant in Diagon Alley and heading to a Muggle club in London. No word yet if Ronald knows about this newest development. **

"I'm just going to pop into the loo and change. Be back in a bit," Hermione said as they reached the Atrium of the Ministry. George nodded and walked over to the fountain. It was now a memorial to all those who died in the war, an obelisk with names of the dead written on them. He searched at the bottom and saw his brother's name etched into the black marble. George had done this every time he'd been to visit the Ministry since the end of the battle. He dumped all the money in his pockets into the fountain, watching them sink to the bottom with the other coins. He felt Hermione come up beside him and do the same. "I miss him too," she said softly. "The world seems a little less bright without him in it."

George nodded and turned from the fountain to his date. She had changed into a mini dress that faded from yellow to red from top to bottom. The under layer of the dress was red silk, which peeked out at the hem, the edge of the sleeves, and around her neck. She had a pair of heels on that were adorned with red fur. She had pulled her hair up in a messy bun with a few strands of hair falling down to frame her face. He reached out and touched the necklace she was wearing, a red stone that seemed to be flickering like a fire. "You look amazing," he whispered.

"Thank you," she said.

He let the necklace fall from his grasp, his fingers trailing her collarbone lightly. "We should go to dinner," he whispered huskily.

In that moment, Hermione didn't care that the Prophet was probably watching them, that they would probably follow them, or that Ron would know all about this tomorrow. All that mattered in that moment was the way George was looking at her. While Lucius stirred her blood, he was off limits to her. And Ron never made Hermione feel more than… content. The way George was looking at her now made it all worthwhile that she had said yes. "We should," she whispered in an equally breathless voice.

* * *

Draco held the door open for Harry and his father, who walked into main foyer. The stark white walls and lack of furniture or decoration made Lucius pause and blink. "Hermione hasn't gotten to this main foyer yet," Draco said as an explanation. Harry looked around, eerily reminded of the time that he had been dragged in here, his face swollen and puffy, and Draco's refusal to identify him.

"Where is the picture of your Grandfather?" Lucius asked as he walked into the now bare sitting room, "And the furniture?"

"We burned it," Draco said in response. "Grandfather had several choice words to say to Hermione when she entered the house."

Lucius smirked and turned to his son. "I had been hoping to do the honors of destroying that picture. Is the one in my study still there?"

"We didn't touch your tower," Draco said. "We thought you would like to make the changes to it."

"And your mother's tower?" He looked towards the North tower and Draco watched his father's face contort into something close to remorse.

Draco turned to Harry, who was watching the interaction carefully. "We didn't go near it," he whispered. "Too many memories that I'd rather not face at the moment," Draco said as he turned back to his father.

"Indeed," Lucius responded. "And where is Miss Granger living?

"She took Severus' West tower," Draco said. "I think she had already stocked the lab and the library."

He smiled, and then remembered that she wasn't with them. "Are you two planning on tell me where she went with Mister Weasley?"

Harry leaned up against the wall, looking at the stairs and contemplating sitting on them. Had it just been Draco he would have, but Lucius always made him feel as if he should be on his best behavior. "Why does it matter so much to you, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco shot a warning look at Harry, who was smiling with glee. "Stop baiting him Harry," Draco said in a hiss. "Hermione went on a date with George," he said to his father.

"Can we take this conversation to somewhere that has furniture?" Harry pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the kitchen. "Anyways Mr. Malfoy, you were asking about George." Lucius and Draco were trailing behind the messy haired brunette who immediately found himself in the fridge. "In order to understand why this isn't completely shocking, I'll have to tell you a bit about Hermione's past. I'm sure Draco won't mind listening to it again."

"I rather think that my father knows enough about Hermione," Draco hissed. "Please do not entertain him."

Lucius shot his son a glare, "What do you mean?"

"He means that he thinks it is gross you are lusting over a girl that could be your daughter," Harry said. He sat on one of the stools, placing the sandwich stuff in front of him. "Draco's just being protective of Hermione. He's been protective of her ever since the fight."

"Fight?" Lucius asked as he sat down across from Potter. Draco, who refused to entertain this conversation, leaned up against the wall.

"Mhm," Harry mumbled as he took a bit of the sandwich he made. "As you know, Ron and Hermione started dating right after the war ended. Wasn't a shock really, everyone expected them to get together. Well, two days after she moved in with Ron, which was really only a week after they started dating, Hermione went to dinner at the Burrow. While she was there she noticed the absence of George and the Weasley told her that George wouldn't talk to any of them. Bit of shock, but Hermione said she'd pop over and see him. They didn't really get alone, the twins and Hermione that is. But when she got there, saw the state he was in, she Owled to tell Ron she'd be staying with George until he was a fully functioning member of society again. At first Ron was fine with it; everyone knew that George had taken Fred's death hard. But months passed and Hermione didn't show signs of leaving George's flat. She was there when she learned the news that her parents had died in that house fire. George followed her everywhere; he went to work with her, he went to the funeral with her, and he would take little day trips with her. Hermione kept telling us that they were taking trips to all the places he had wanted to go with Fred, that they were working on George's ability to learn to be his own person. Ron got madder and madder, said that all George was doing was replacing Fred with Hermione."

"It sounds that way," Lucius pointed out.

"It did, but you had to know Hermione. She saw therapists, lying to them and telling them that it was her twin that died. She researched what happens to twins who lose their twin tragically like that. She was helping him, he was getting better. But one night, Ron snapped. He had a bit too much to drink at the pub and he headed over to George's flat. He accused George of being after Hermione and they started fighting. I think they were dueling originally but Hermione took their wands and they started fighting physically. Both of them ended up in St. Mungo's for a few days and when they got out George told Hermione to go home since it was causing problems for her and Ron. George ended up getting better on his own after Hermione had started the process, but Ron and George haven't spoken since," Harry said. "Ron still believes that George had feelings for her then."

Lucius nodded but did not respond. _So Miss Granger is dating another Weasley. Does this mean that whatever happened between us at her house is regret for her? I should have known better than to assume that she would be interested in a wasted man like me. _"Father," Draco said loudly. Lucius turned to face his son. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine son," he said. "I think I will go up to my room and take a bath. It's nice to not be in prison anymore." He stood up slowly and headed out the door. Behind him he heard rushed footsteps. Stopping and turning slowly, he raised an eyebrow to Potter. "Can I help you with something Potter?"

"I just wanted to say… well that is… I wanted to tell you… that I support you." He said the last part in a breathless rushed voice.

He stared at the boy… the man who stood in front of him and remembered all the reasons Potter should hate him. To have Potter's support, which he didn't have after the war ended, was strange. "What has changed Mister Potter? You were clear that you would not speak for me when the war ended."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but I didn't know. I mean, Narcissa saved my life and it was so obvious that Draco was being forced into his service. It wasn't until I became friends with Draco that I realized the error I had made." Harry looked down at his shoes and whispered, "Please forgive me."

Lucius looked over the boy's shoulder to see his son sitting at the island still. He had his back to them, but the ridged way he was sitting was a clear sign that he was listening to every word they said. "I forgive you," he said, "and I hope to get to know you better Potter. After all, my closest friend gave his life to protect you."

"Too many people gave their life to protect me sir," Harry said. "And I also wanted to say something I'm sure Draco will kill me for later. I think you'd be good for Hermione. She'd kill a Weasley if she married one."

Lucius smirked and nodded. "Indeed, well that's very… nice of you Mister Potter. Now if you will excuse me, I need a bath. And my son is seething behind you."

Harry turned to see Draco standing behind him with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. "Damn," he muttered.

* * *

George and Hermione Apparated to the gates of the Malfoy Manor and Hermione raised her wand to open them. "I still cannot believe that you live here," George said as he draped his cloak over her bare shoulders.

"It's not so bad now," she said. "Draco and I are doing a lot to the place. It's nice to know that we are taking something so tainted by the war and making it whole and beautiful again."

"Like what you are doing with Lucius?"

The comment made Hermione stop and look at George. "That's not why I took his case," she said sternly.

"No, I know you took it as a favor to Draco," George said. He kept walking and Hermione followed behind him looking up at the manor. They had almost reached the front door when George stopped again. "The thing is Hermione, I don't think that is still the reason you are involved in his case. All you've talked about all night has been him. Not the case, just him. I think you've developed feelings for him."

Hermione looked at George but turned away. She could see a light on in the East tower… in Lucius' tower. _It's true, _she thought, _I do have feelings for Lucius. _"I…"

"You don't have to explain anything to me Hermione," George said. "You know, I've begun to think you feel like I'm made of porcelain. You could have told me when I asked you out that you had feelings for him and not me."

"That's not true," she said. "I have feelings for you too George. I always did." She turned back to him, pulling his cloak closer to her. "Ron had every right to be upset, even if he didn't know it. I did have feelings for you back then. I kept telling myself that I just wanted to see you get better because you were Ron's brother. But when Ron hit you, I just knew I'd rather defend you then him."

George looked shocked and angry. "Why didn't you say anything? Damn it, why didn't you stay?"

Hermione looked down at her shoes; her left foot was tapping faster with her growing anxiety. "I didn't know what to do George. Everyone expected me to be with Ron. Everyone would have been so angry if I had left him for you and I didn't want to do that to your family. I thought that you and he would make up if I just went back to the way things were."

"We didn't make up," he said softly, "because Ron knew. He knew that I had feelings for you."

Hermione nodded but didn't say anything. What could she have said to make this any better? If she had stayed with George all those years ago, how different would her life have been? It could have affected everything she had grown to care about, starting with the Malfoys. "George… I want you to know how sorry I am. I do still care for you greatly."

George pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "It wasn't meant to be," he whispered. "If it had been, I would have asked you before you fell for someone else." He let her go slowly until he was only holding her hands. "I'll always love you Hermione. If you ever need anything, just call me and I'll be there. You did more for me than any other person would have."

"I'd do it again," she whispered. She didn't know when she had started crying, but she could feel the wetness on her cheeks. She pulled the cloak off her shoulders and handed it to him. "Goodnight George," she said softly and leaned up to give him a soft kiss.

"Night Hermione," he said back.

* * *

Lucius couldn't help but overhear the conversation happening below. He had the window open in the bathroom as he lounged in the tub. _So she does have feelings for me, _he smirked. He heard the door open and close and then silence. Wait… silence wasn't right. He should have been able to hear the sound of the Weasley's footsteps away from the house. Moments later, the nagging feeling in his gut was confirmed when a scream rang through the night.

* * *

_A/N: I know, it's a terrible place to end this. But it isn't fanfiction without a cliffhanger!_


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